The invention relates to a harness and cinch assembly for use with a backpack.
Backpacks are worn by hikers to carry camping gear, by soldiers to carry survival gear, and by rescue workers to carry emergency equipment. Backpacks are usually attached to a wearer by a harness assembly comprising an array of straps which secures the backpack frame to the wearer's back. With a well-designed harness assembly, the straps support the backpack at the proper height on the wearer's body and hold the lower portion of the pack against the small of the wearer's back. In order to accomplish this, the harness straps are attached to the upper and lower portions of the backpack frame and pass over the wearer's shoulders and chest and around the waist.
A typical prior art configuration is shown in published British Patent Application No. 2079833A, published Jan. 27, 1982. A first pair of straps pass over the wearer's shoulders and down the chest; and a second pair of straps encircle the wearer's waist. A buckle is used to clasp the waist straps together and includes loops which receive the chest straps. Since the chest straps are attached to the buckle, when the buckle is undone, the chest straps are loose: and the backpack is free to slide down the wearer's back. This is undesirable since before the buckle is secured, the pack is not adequately supported on the wearer's back; and when the buckle is loosened to remove the pack, the shifting weight can throw the wearer off balance, making final removal of the pack difficult. It is advantageous, especially when the backpack contains life-saving or other emergency equipment, that the pack be able to be put on and taken off quickly and with a minimum of effort. To this end, it is desirable to minimize the number of buckles and clasps which are used to secure the pack to the wearer and to be able to adjust the position of the pack on the wearer's back by pulling a single pair of straps which can be secured with a buckle around the wearer's waist. It is further desirable to be able to loosen the buckle in preparation for removing the pack without having the pack slide down the wearer's back at the same time.